Leave the Past Behind
by Lothlome
Summary: Ginny is forced to look after Order Headquarters and her world is turned on its head when a mysterious man shows up on her doorstep. AU. HBP Spoilers. GWRB.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and its characters belong solely to J.K. Rowling and Co. **

**A/N: Another one of my stories that was done in response to a "characters out of a hat" challenge. I'm not even sure if there are any Ginny/Regulus shippers out there. The pairing never even really crossed my mind until I pulled their names out of the hat. So, to all you Ginny/Regulus shippers have at! Hope you enjoy! Lothlome **

"It's not fair!" Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice reverberating off the stone walls of the kitchen. She stood in the middle of the room, shaking violently; her face flushed a dark shade of red. "You can't make me stay here!"

"Ginny dear, it's not safe for you to return to Hogwarts now that Dumbledore's gone," Mr. Weasley said, looking down at his daughter sympathetically. Ginny clenched her fists and stared at her parents, desperately trying to keep herself from reaching into her bag and pulling her wand out. She could not believe her own parents were going to leave her in this horrid place, all alone.

"I'm sixteen years old; I've faced Death Eaters on countless occasions. I came face to face with Tom Riddle! I think I'm capable enough to deal with anything that might come my way," she said angrily. "You said yourself Hogwarts was probably the safest place to be during this war." Mr. Weasley sighed heavily, and hung his head. Ginny did not feel any sympathy for her father's frustration. She was past feeling sorry for people who abandoned her and underestimated her ability.

"Yes, I did say that," Mr. Weasley admitted, "but things have changed since then. Dumbledore isn't there to protect the school anymore."

"We just want you to be safe dear," Mrs. Weasley added softly, a layer of tears forming in her eyes.

"So you're going to leave me to protect Order of the Phoenix Headquarters all by myself?" she shouted. "It seems like you're taking me from one danger and throwing me into another!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged knowing looks, as if they had expected this type of reaction. This only made Ginny angrier.

"You may not see the purpose of this now, but it will all become clear with time," Mr. Weasley assured her.

"But what about my schooling?" Ginny demanded, if she couldn't convince her parents she was capable of protecting herself, maybe she could convince them to let her return to school for the sake of her academics.

"We've got that all worked out with Professor McGonagall," Mrs. Weasley said, a small smile forming on her face. "Since you'll be watching after Headquarters, Professor McGonagall has agreed to send you your school work by the Floo Network. You'll receive packages to complete every Sunday, and return them every Friday." Ginny exhaled heavily, she was so angry she was surprised fire hadn't burst forth from her lips.

"Besides you won't be alone," Mr. Weasley told her, Ginny shot him a disbelieving look. "Members of the Order will be in and out all the time, you'll never lack for company."

"Yes, that's just what I want. To be thrust into the company of people who won't give me the slightest clue as to what's going on in the war, people who will usher me out of the room so they can discuss "adult matters". I'm not a child anymore, in case you haven't noticed," she said acidly.

"Until you turn seventeen young lady you are a child, and as such you are under my jurisdiction!" Mrs. Weasley said firmly, her voice starting to rise and her eyes becoming hard. "I'll hear no more complaints! You wanted to help with the war effort, and this is how you will help. You will maintain Headquarters, and study your lessons without one ill word. Do you understand?" Ginny stared at her mother, and Mrs. Weasley returned the stare with eyes that could shoot daggers. After a few minutes Ginny sighed in defeat. She couldn't compete against her mother's iron will.

"Fine," she said heavily, "I'll stay, and be a good little girl." Mrs. Weasley smiled in satisfaction, and looked up at her husband. Mr. Weasley, however, was looking concerned about the way things had panned out.

"I'm going to go unpack," Ginny said, collecting her trunk and other belongings and heading up the kitchen stairs. The minute she had left the room she heard her parents' anxious whispers. She didn't care what they said; they had no idea what it was like. She felt like she had just been dropped into a whirlpool that was slowly dragging her farther and farther down into the darkness. First, she had been thrown into a war she was not allowed to partake in, and then she had faced the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, next she was expected to pretend like none of it had ever happened, that Sirius had never died, that the Death Eaters had not infiltrated Hogwarts, that Snape hadn't killed Dumbledore…that Harry hadn't dumped her and gone off to fight against Voldemort without her getting a chance to tell him how she really felt.

Ginny angrily wiped away tears as the memories came rushing back to her. Everyone thought she was too young and innocent to deal with something like this, but Harry had been younger than her when he had first faced Voldemort. He had come out all right, and so could she, if someone just gave her a chance. Ginny's hand trailed up to the diamond amulet hanging around her neck. Harry had given it to her while they were dating. She didn't know why she still held onto it, perhaps because she wasn't willing to give up on Harry yet. Maybe after the war was over they could pick up where they left off, and everything could go back to the way it used to be.

A single tear rolled off of Ginny's face and fell onto the top of her trunk as she snapped it shut. She was barely aware that she had just finished unpacking, her mind was so clouded with thought that she could hardly see straight.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning of September 1st dawned, and Ginny awoke with a heavy feeling in her stomach. To her, the start of term marked the beginning of a life of loneliness and monotony. Every Sunday she received a package from Professor McGonagall that included her weekly lessons. She spent most of her time in the drawing room practicing spells, and working on her essays. Teaching herself new charms and spells proved more difficult than she could have imagined, and more than once Ginny ended up just throwing her books at the wall and giving up. Between her school work she had to balance cleaning up the house, as Kreacher was really no help. Being left all alone in the house with no one but Kreacher for company was worse than Ginny could have ever dreamed. The house elf's constant babbling and insane behavior was annoying when you were busy cleaning up with a group of friends and family, but when you were alone it was just disturbing. She was starting to realize how Sirius must have felt when he was trapped in Grimmauld Place.

And if her father had thought the house would be constantly full of Order members he was sadly mistaken. Now that the war was in full swing Ginny would go for weeks at a time without human contact. It seemed none of the Order members had time to stop by anymore. The only thing that kept Ginny from going completely insane was the company of Crookshanks. Hermione had delivered him into Ginny's care while she was busy helping Harry, and Ginny never realized just how beneficial the cat's company could be. One thing that was a bit of a comfort was afternoon tea with her mother every day at three o'clock. At first, Ginny thought the constant meetings with her mother would only result in terrible arguments, but as the weeks wore on she came to depend on these meetings more and more. Just to have someone to talk to was a luxury, growing up in such a large family had made Ginny unaccustomed to living alone. She was so desperate she would even talk with Fleur if she was given the chance.

Two months had passed this way. By now, Ginny had fallen into a sort of pattern. Wake up at ten, eat breakfast, work on her lessons until tea time, talk with her mother for an hour, do a little cleaning, have dinner, read a little by the fire, and then go up to bed at eleven. With such little activity going on in the house Ginny was startled to hear a loud banging noise downstairs in the foyer as she was busying cleaning one of the bedrooms that Thursday.

She stiffened upon hearing the sound. Who could possibly be at the Order now? Ginny clutched her wand tightly in her hand, and slowly headed down the hallway, being careful to avoid any creaky floor boards. A few minutes had gone by, and the sound had not repeated itself. Ginny furrowed her brow, and straightened up from the fighting position she had assumed in case of an attack. Perhaps she had just imagined the sound. It was possible; all this time alone might have finally taken its toll. Still, she headed to the top of the stairs, and nearly fainted when she saw what was in the entrance way.

A man was lying face down on the hard, wooden floor. His breathing was ragged, and his hair and clothes were tattered. On instinct Ginny raced down the stairs and kneeled down beside the stranger. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he rolled over onto his back. He had quite a handsome face, but it was hidden by a layer of grime. His lips were cracked, and he looked gaunt, as if he had not had a proper meal in weeks. He cracked his eyes open, and he looked up at Ginny.

"Water," he croaked, before closing his eyes again. Ginny jumped up, and ran down to the kitchens to get a glass of water for the stranger. She was unsure if she should be helping him or not, for all she knew he could be an enemy. Still, her gut instinct was telling her that he couldn't possibly be an enemy; he would probably have tried to attack her already. She returned to the entrance hall, the man was still lying on the floor wheezing. Ginny sprinkled a bit of water in his face and this seemed to revive him for the most part. She helped him into a sitting position, and then placed the glass of water to his lips. He took the glass from her hands, his rough palms scratching Ginny's smooth skin. He drank down the entire glass in one gulp, and then wiped his mouth with his right hand. Ginny noticed the initials RAB tattooed onto his index, middle, and ring finger.

"I see the place hasn't changed much," he observed as he looked around at the room, "perhaps a little less grimy." Ginny gaped at him. Here sat this perfect stranger, and he was speaking as if it was nothing out of the ordinary to be collapsed in the middle of a hallway, waking up in the presence of a sixteen year old red-head.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How do you know about this place?" Ginny demanded in a mixture of fear and curiosity. The man stared at her with a pair of piercing grey eyes. Ginny didn't know why, but she could have sworn she had seen them somewhere else before.

"I could ask the same of you," he said, his voice was harsh yet soft.

"I asked first," Ginny retorted. She hoped the stranger didn't realize how scared she was, the last thing she wanted to show was weakness in front of a potential adversary. The man winced as he sat up straighter; Ginny deduced that a few of his ribs must be broken.

"And why should I tell a little girl like you who I am? What authority do you have over me?" he said sharply. Ginny's face flushed in anger. A little girl was she? She placed her wand at his throat.

"You would be surprised at how much _authority_ I have," she said menacingly. The man smirked, and swatted Ginny's wand away as if he was merely swatting a fly. Her wand went spinning and landed at the end of the stairs.

"You've got spirit, girl, I'll give you that," he said in amusement, "but spirit can get you into trouble. For now, I think it sufficient to say that I am _one of the family_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Figure it out," he said in annoyance, "and while you mull over that one for the next few hours, do you mind getting some hot water and bandages?" Ginny looked at him warily, and then got up and went to the kitchens. She gathered together some cloths and bandages, a few healing herbs, and a kettle of hot water. When she returned, however, the man was no longer in the entrance hall. Ginny walked into the living room to find him reclined on one of the couches. Ginny headed over to him, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

"So, how'd you get so banged up?" Ginny asked, as she cleaned the grime and congealed blood off of his face.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he snapped, scratching his stubble covered chin. Ginny exhaled heavily, and began to help him off with his brown trench coat. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm bandaging up your ribs, unless you'd like to take a crack at it yourself," Ginny said angrily. "By all means go ahead; I'd love to see how you manage this."

"Damn girl," he muttered as Ginny peeled off his shirt. Underneath his ragged clothes the stranger was hiding an extremely fit body. His ribs were bruised on the left side, and Ginny noticed a long scar running diagonally from the base of his neck, across his chest, and stopping at his armpit. Ginny cleaned the grime off of him, and then wrapped his ribs in thick white bandages.

"There, I think you can handle yourself from there," Ginny said, sitting back and admiring her work. The stranger dunked his head in the water basin, and the shook the water out of his shaggy brown locks. A few droplets splashed Ginny in the eyes.

"So, girl, you never told me your name," he said as he wiped himself down with a wash cloth.

"Ginny," she said slowly, "Ginny Weasley."

"Weasley, eh?" he said with mild interest, "Daughter of Arthur Weasley?" Ginny nodded, and looked at him curiously.

"You know my dad?" she asked.

"I've heard of him," the stranger responded. He stood and walked back into the entrance way, Ginny followed behind him.

"Now I've told you who I am," she said, "it's only fair you tell me who you are." She walked after him as he headed up the stairs and to a door at the end of the hall.

"I'm someone you shouldn't trifle with," he warned. Ginny rolled her eyes, and she could feel her face flushing in annoyance. He opened the door and went to the wardrobe on the left side of the room. Ginny waited outside as he changed into a fresh set of clothes, the only thing he kept from his previous ensemble was his trench coat.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny demanded as she followed him downstairs to the kitchens.

"That's simple enough," he said, "I needed a place to hide, and this was the only place that came to mind." Ginny furrowed her brow as she thought this over. He needed a place to hide? Hide from what?

"Here, sit down, I'll make some dinner," Ginny said, shoving him down into a seat at the table, and heading over to the stove. She tried hard to ignore the satisfied smirk he had plastered across his face.

"So, what's your story?" he asked, after finishing another glass of water Ginny had set in front of him.

"I don't have one," she said shortly. The man raised an eyebrow.

"I hardly believe that," he challenged. "What are you doing in this house? Are you living here?"

"I suppose you could say that," she said slowly. "I'm only here temporarily."

"What for?"

"For a matter that wouldn't concern you," she snapped.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, girl." His tone was so grave and low that it sent shivers down Ginny's spine. She set two plates down on the table, and the man began digging into his food hungrily. Once again Ginny noticed the initials on his right hand.

"What does that stand for?" she asked him. The man stopped eating for a moment, and looked up at her. "The letters on your fingers, RAB?"

"Nothing, they're just an old mark I got when I was younger," he said, shrugging her off.

"The letters sound familiar," she said, trying to recall the last time she had come in contact with them.

"Forget it," he said sharply, and his tone caused Ginny to start. "It doesn't concern you."

"Oh, it doesn't?" Ginny challenged. "Well, if you're planning on using this place as a hide out then I would have to say it does concern me, a great deal as a matter of fact."

"I have more right to this house than you could ever have girl," he growled. Ginny raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"How's that?" The stranger said nothing, and went on eating. Ginny followed his example, and they spent the rest of their meal in stony silence. Ginny desperately tried to remember where she had seen those letters before. They seemed important for some reason.

"So, does anyone else live in the house, or is it just you?" he asked, pushing his plate away after he had picked it clean.

"Just me," Ginny said disdainfully. The man thought this prospect over for a few seconds.

"Well, that complicates things less," he mused aloud. "The less people I have to reveal myself to, the better."

"Not that you've exactly revealed yourself," she muttered. "You still haven't told me your name."

"Girl, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said quietly and fiercely. Ginny rolled her eyes, and got up from the table. "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"No where," she shot back, as she stormed up the stairs. This whole situation was too weird for her. She entered the room that housed the Black Family Tree, and stared at it in annoyance, as if it was the tapestry's fault she had been thrown into such a bizarre predicament. Her eyes trailed over to where the burn mark that should have been Sirius was sitting, and then read across. The name next to Sirius' burn mark read: Regulus Augustus Black. Ginny's eyes widened as the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. RAB…Regulus Augustus Black…but it couldn't be, he was dead, or so Sirius had said. And more than that, he was a Death Eater.


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny re-entered the kitchen, and found that the man -- or Regulus if she was correct, had cleaned up their dinner, and was now rummaging around in the cabinets.

"Is there anything to drink around here?" he demanded, as he wrenched open another cupboard.

"If I assume correctly in that you're looking for alcohol, then no," she said flatly. The man cursed, and stared down at the floor as if he expected a bottle of brandy to come up from the floor boards.

"Ah! I know where there's a stash," he said triumphantly. He headed out of the kitchen, Ginny hot on his heels. He headed up to the second floor, and took a right; he walked down a long hallway, until he reached a wooden door directly in the center of the wall. He walked inside, and Ginny followed him in apprehensively, this was Sirius' old room. The man wrenched up a loose floor board and reached down inside what seemed to be a secret compartment. A few seconds later he brought forth a large bottle of Firewhiskey.

"Sirius always kept a few bottles hidden up here," he said nostalgically, as he placed the bottle to his lips. Ginny watched him, her heart beat starting to quicken.

"I know who you are," she said quietly. The man stopped drinking, and looked at her curiously.

"Oh yes, and who am I then?" he challenged, but Ginny could have sworn she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"You're Regulus Black," she said. The man's eyes hardened, but he nodded.

"Ay, I am," he said gravely. To Ginny the room felt as if it was suddenly spinning.

"But…you can't be…you're supposed to be dead," she said breathlessly.

"Things aren't always what they seem," he said darkly. Ginny shook her head, trying to force her panic away.

"But then you're a…you're a…" she stuttered.

"Death Eater," he supplied for her. His lip curled into a wry smirk, and he exposed his left forearm which bore the Dark Mark. Ginny recoiled in fear, and stared at the man sitting in front of her in horror. "Don't worry; I'm not exactly the most _loyal_ of Voldemort's supporters."

"W-What do you mean?" Ginny asked her voice shaking as she stared at Regulus' Dark Mark. He covered his arm up again, and held the bottle out to her.

"Perhaps I should explain," he said. Ginny nodded furiously. "You may need a drink or two, the story I'm about to tell isn't one that's easily believed." Ginny looked at the bottle apprehensively for a moment before she took a long swig. Regulus stood from his spot, and offered Ginny a hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. She followed him down to the drawing room in a sort of daze, and when they finally sat down on the couch she felt her stomach give a strange sort of lurch. She took another drink to try and calm her nerves.

"Be careful there," Regulus warned, as Ginny tried to clear her throat of the burning sensation that the whiskey had caused. "That stuff has a nasty kick, especially if you're a first time drinker."

"I'm fine," she stuttered, handing the bottle back to him. "Now, what did you mean when you said you 'weren't one of Voldemort's most _loyal _supporters'?" Regulus took a swig from the bottle.

"Well, back when I was younger I joined the Death Eaters, but not for the reason Sirius probably told you," Regulus explained. "You see, while he openly defied our parents, and opposed their ideas; I knew it was in my best interest to pretend that I was on their side…pretend I was into all this "pure-blood mania". Truth be told I really just needed their money, with the work I was planning to do I wouldn't have time for a job.

"So, I went into league with Voldemort, and got myself into his good graces, the only person he probably trusted more than me was Snape…then again, Voldemort's never been what you would have called the 'trusting' type."

"But I don't understand, why would you have to join You-Know-Who to pretend you believed in what your parents believed?" Ginny questioned. "Sirius said they were afraid of him."

"Well, you see, that all had to do with the work I was planning on doing," Regulus replied. "What better way to bring about your enemy's downfall then by working from the inside? You see, I knew there had to be a way to defeat him. No man's so powerful that he can't be killed…that's what everyone was forgetting…that Voldemort was just a man.

"So, I did some research, and I found out how Voldemort planned to keep himself alive forever. Horcruxes."

"Hor—what?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"It doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard of them," Regulus said quietly. "Not many wizards know about them, and those who do are either too wise or too afraid to talk about them. Tell me Ginny, have you ever wondered how Voldemort is able to come back? How it is that he isn't dead?"

"I guess I never really thought about," Ginny replied, struggling to keep her voice even. The truth was, this conversation was starting to scare her. Regulus had a dark edge about him, something that reminded her more of Tom Riddle. "I just assumed he could do it because he was a really powerful wizard…"

"Exactly," Regulus said, "it's only the really powerful wizards that can make a horcrux, and Voldemort made seven. You see Ginny, Voldemort split his soul."

"He split his soul?" Ginny repeated, in a mixture of horror and disgust. Regulus nodded.

"It's a dangerous bit of magic, but Voldemort was so concerned about keeping himself alive that he didn't care what the consequences were. So, he split his soul into seven pieces and hid each of them into what he considered to be a very powerful magical object. Once I found out about them I went on a hunt, I was determined to bring down Voldemort as soon as possible, before he could do anymore damage.

"I only managed to destroy one though; an old trinket of Salazar Slytherin's, but old Voldemort found out and sentenced me to death. I escaped though. I managed to Imperio an old Death Eater comrade of mine into drinking some Polyjuice Potion with my hair in it. Then I went into hiding."

"So Voldemort thinks that he killed you?" Ginny said, trying to take in the whole story.

"Yeah, and as far as everyone else knows I'm dead," Regulus added roughly. Ginny stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Regulus hadn't been a true Death Eater like Sirius had thought? He was just a spy? "That's why I came here, the only place in the world that I know of that Voldemort can't get into, aside from Hogwarts, but it's unlikely that I could hide myself in there. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you." Ginny nodded.

"Well, now I've told you my story, it's only fair you tell me yours," Regulus said, stretching widely.

"I don't have one," Ginny said quietly, staring down at the floor. Regulus raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"So I suppose it's just by chance that you discovered this place, is it?" he challenged. Ginny stared into his cold grey eyes, and they held each other's gaze for a few minutes. She wasn't sure if she could trust him or not. He seemed to be on their side, but how could she be sure? Finally, she sighed and decided to offer up her story. What was life about if not about taking risks?

"We're using this house as Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix," she said at length. "Sirius gave it to Dumbledore to use a few years ago. I'm here watching over the place." Regulus snorted.

"They're leaving Headquarters in the protection of a sixteen year old witch? I doubt you could even read the Dark Lord's name without screaming." Ginny's face turned red with anger. How dare he?

"For your information, _Regulus_, I've come face to face with You-Know… with Voldemort himself," she said hastily. It was the first time she had ever used Voldemort's name, and she couldn't say she had enjoyed the experience. The hairs on the back of her neck had picked up the moment the name passed her lips, and she had broken out into a cold sweat.

"Have you now?" Regulus said softly, his voice laced with curiosity. Ginny nodded, her eyes becoming wide as the memories came flooding back to her. She had tried to block out the events in her first year at Hogwarts with all her might, but she could not escape the memories.

"Yes, when I was eleven," she said heavily. "Lucius Malfoy slipped his old school diary into my school things. I used it, and Tom Riddle used it to possess me…he brought me down to the Chamber of Secrets…he was going to use me to come back…he might have managed it too, if Harry hadn't saved me, and destroyed the diary." Regulus raised his eyebrows in interest as Ginny finished her tale.

"So you know Harry Potter?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said, her eyes becoming hard, "yeah, I know him." Regulus studied her face for a few moments.

"Broke your heart did he?" he said bluntly, not even bothering to be sympathetic of Ginny's feelings.

"No," Ginny said firmly. If she admitted it out loud that would make it true, and she didn't want it to be true.

"Ah…in denial, are we?" Regulus goaded. "I suppose you're waiting for him to come back into your waiting arms after this war is over. You think maybe he was just trying to protect you from danger?" Ginny's eyes coated over with a layer or tears, but she blinked them away angrily. She wouldn't let this criminal's words affect her.

"What do you know about love anyway?" she snapped at him. Regulus shrugged.

"Not much, I've made it a point to avoid love," Regulus said simply. "It always ends badly."

"Not always," Ginny said quietly to the floor. She then straightened up before she became lost in thoughts of Harry. "So, I guess you'll be staying here?"

"I guess I will," Regulus agreed, "but I'm going to need some help from you."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"I'm supposed to be dead," he explained. "It wouldn't exactly be easy for me to explain what happened, especially to an organization bent on killing Voldemort and his followers." Ginny nodded understandingly. Hiding Regulus shouldn't be too difficult, there were tons of rooms in the house, and she had had some experience in hiding people who didn't want to be found.

"I'll help you," Ginny agreed. Regulus smiled, and stretched out his hand. Ginny looked at him apprehensively for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it, thus sealing the deal.


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny went to bed that night with mixed feelings about the whole situation she had gotten herself into. She wasn't entirely comfortable housing an ex-Death Eater in Order of the Phoenix headquarters, even one who hadn't really been working for Voldemort in the first place. Despite the dangers hiding Regulus brought, Ginny was kind of glad to have the company. At least she would have another human to interact with, and she wouldn't be stuck all alone with Kreacher. Regulus intrigued her as well; he had a dark, mysterious edge that she found particularly attractive. With these last thoughts she drifted off to sleep.

It seemed she had only been sleeping for a few hours when Ginny started from sleep. She sat up quickly, and listened to the screams coming from down the hall. She lit a candle on her bedside table and hurried down the second floor hallway to Regulus' room. She opened the door to his and saw him thrashing and convulsing in his bed, screaming bloody murder.

"Regulus!" she shouted, trying to wake him from his nightmare, but he continued to writhe and scream in pain.

"No! Don't make me…no, I can't…no, no, please…" he yelled. Ginny rushed to his bed side, put the candle down on his nightstand, and then proceeded to try and shake him awake.

"Regulus!" she said again, louder this time. "Wake up! Regulus!" Suddenly his eyes shot open, and he sat up instantly and wrapped a hand around Ginny's throat. Ginny tried to pry his fingers off of her neck, but his grip was too strong. "Regulus stop!" she pleaded hoarsely. "It was just a dream…please…" His fingers immediately relaxed, and he looked as if he had just been slapped across the face. Ginny coughed as she regained her breath and rubbed her sore neck.

"I'm sorry," Regulus panted. "I didn't…I mean I…"

"What were you dreaming about?" she demanded. "I could hear you screaming all the way down the hall." Regulus shook his head slowly and stared down at his blankets.

"Nothing," he said roughly, "just a nightmare."

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with genuine concern. Regulus looked into her eyes, and Ginny could have sworn she saw sadness in them.

"I'm fine, just go back to sleep Ginny," he told her. Ginny nodded, still looking at Regulus in concern. She took her candle and headed toward the door. She watched as Regulus dropped back down into his pillows, and as she closed the door she heard him let out a long groan.

The next morning neither one of them mentioned Regulus' nightmare. Ginny thought it best not to talk about it. She made them both breakfast, and then went into the drawing room to practice her spells. She was working on Defense Against the Dark Arts when Regulus came in.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, sitting down on the couch. Ginny scribbled down the last sentence of her essay, and turned around to look at him.

"School work," she explained, "my teachers are sending it to me even though I'm not in school right now. Everything's been going okay except for D.A.D.A; I don't really have anyone to practice the jinxes on."

"I'll help you," Regulus offered, standing up and pulling his wand out of the inside of his trench coat.

"But…you're hurt," Ginny protested, standing up with him.

"Trust me, I'm not unaccustomed to handling a little pain," he said with a wry smile.

"Well, if you're sure," Ginny said warily. They moved the furniture out of the middle of the room, leaving themselves a big enough work space. They covered the ground behind them with a few cushions, and then took fighting stances.

"What jinxes are you learning?" Regulus inquired.

"Right now the Impediment Jinx, but I alre—"

"_Impedimenta_!" Regulus shouted. Ginny quickly reacted.

"_Protego_!" she shouted, and the spell went bouncing back toward Regulus and knocking him off his feet. He landed in the cushions with a groan. Ginny dropped down to the ground beside him, and looked over him frantically.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "I'm sorry; it was just a natural reaction." Regulus chuckled softly, and Ginny helped him to his feet.

"It's fine, I'm actually glad you did it, it shows you know what you're doing," Regulus said, obviously impressed. "It really seems like you don't need much practice in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Who've your previous teachers been?"

"They're only two worth mentioning," Ginny said, "Remus Lupin, and Harry Potter."

"Really? Lupin, eh? Used to be a good friend of Sirius' if I recall correctly," Regulus said thoughtfully. Ginny nodded.

"He's in the Order," she told him.

"And Harry Potter taught you a few tricks?" he added.

"Yeah, when we had this really horrid teacher, Dolores Umbridge," Ginny explained. Regulus stood silently, staring down at the floor in great thought. After a few minutes he looked up at Ginny, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Wand at the ready," he told her, heading to the other side of the room. Ginny furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I want to test your skill," he replied. "Now, pick up your wand." Ginny sighed and took a fighting stance.

"Fine, but if you get hurt you have no one to blame but yourself," she warned.

"I'm ready to take that responsibility," he said with a wry smile.

An hour later Ginny found herself lying flat on her back with Regulus' wand at her throat.

"Not bad," he complimented, as he helped her to her feet. Ginny inclined her head in recognition of his kind word, she was incapable of speaking as she was too busy trying to regain her breath. Regulus had given her quite a beating, but not without receiving a few bruises of his own. "You're more powerful than I gave you credit for." Ginny blushed as he said this. No one had ever acknowledged her as being a powerful witch before.

"What time is it?" Ginny panted. Regulus glanced at the clock in the corner.

"Almost three," he replied. Ginny's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no!" she shrieked. She grabbed Regulus by the wrist and began dragging him upstairs to his room. "You've got to hide, come on, upstairs quick!"

"What? Why?" he asked, as they headed up the stairs.

"My Mum's coming for tea, I forgot she comes every afternoon," Ginny told him. "You've got to promise me you'll stay up here no matter what. If she finds you she'll go nuts."

"All right," Regulus agreed as Ginny shoved him into his room. Ginny was about to leave when she suddenly realized something.

"You can't fall asleep," she told him quickly.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"If you have another nightmare and she hears you we're both finished," Ginny told him.

"Please, don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to have another nightmare," he snorted.

"No, Regulus please, I don't want to take a chance," she said, tears of desperation forming in her eyes. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't think she would be able to bear it if someone found him.

"Fine," Regulus said grudgingly.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered, and she raced down the stairs to the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

Ginny skidded into the kitchen, and found that her mother was already busy making tea. They had just narrowly escaped disaster.

"I was just about to go looking for you," Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully, as she placed the kettle on the stove. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Oh, no," Ginny panted, wiping sweat off of her brow and sitting down at the table. "I was just upstairs cleaning and I got a little preoccupied," she lied.

"So how have things been here?" Mrs. Weasley inquired. "Any visitors?"

"Uh…no, no one from the Order's been around in ages."

"Oh dear, I hope you're not too lonely," Mrs. Weasley said sympathetically. Ginny tried hard to repress a smirk.

"I'm fine," she assured her mother.

Tea with Mrs. Weasley seemed to drag on forever that afternoon. Usually she dreaded the time when her mother left, but today she wished she would leave early. Ginny's heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, every second her mother stayed just increased the chances of her finding out about Regulus.

"Well, I'd better get going," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "I've got to start making dinner for your father." Ginny bit back a relieved smile, and accompanied her mother to the fireplace. Just as Mrs. Weasley was about to step into the hearth a loud thud could be heard upstairs.

"What was that?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously.

"Probably just Crookshanks, Mum, he's always getting into things," Ginny told her. Mrs. Weasley looked unconvinced.

"Perhaps I should just go upstairs and check," she said.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed, earning a look of confusion from her mother. "I'll check on it Mum, don't be silly. You don't want to keep Dad waiting do you?" Mrs. Weasley still looked concerned, but she stepped into the hearth, and took a handful of Floo powder.

"Well, if you're sure," she said apprehensively.

"I am," Ginny said firmly. Mrs. Weasley disappeared in a whirl of green flame, and Ginny was left standing alone in the kitchen.

Now that her mother was gone, Ginny raced upstairs to Regulus' room and threw the door open without knocking.

"What were you doing up here?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," Regulus apologized, "but Kreacher wandered in here, and started bowing down at my feet and kissing my coat. I had to throw the little bugger up in the attic or I was going to go insane."

"Do you realize you were almost found out? My mother was this close to coming up here!" She held her index finger and thumb a mere centimeter apart to illustrate her point.

"Well she didn't find me, did she?" Regulus said pointedly. Ginny sighed in exasperation and slumped against the wall as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who has to keep people from coming up here," she grumbled.

"You're not the one who has to worry about losing their life if they're found," Regulus said acidly. Ginny's anger immediately melted away as she saw the bitterness written in Regulus' face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Regulus waved her off.

"Forget it," he told her. He sat down on his bed and stared at the floor. Ginny felt that it was time for her to leave, and let Regulus sit alone with his thoughts.

"I'm going to start dinner," she told him. He said nothing, and she headed back downstairs to the kitchen.

As Ginny worked on dinner in the kitchens, she mulled over the strange feelings she was having now that Regulus was a part of her crazy, mixed up world. At first she had been afraid of his roughness, but now she was finding that it didn't even bother her anymore. The mysteries surrounding him that were at first causing her to distrust him, now made him extremely seductive. His appearance was nothing to complain about as he had the patented Black family good looks. Every time she was around him, her stomach started to contort uncomfortably, and her skin would flush. And every time his eyes locked with hers she felt this burning desire to be touched by him…possessed by him. It was a strange feeling, she hadn't ever felt that way about Harry, and that was worrying her. She thought she had loved Harry, but she had never felt so strongly toward him. Ginny tugged at the gold chain that was hanging around her neck. The amulet suddenly felt extremely heavy, as if it was a weight she was being forced to bear.

Regulus came downstairs an hour and a half later, and sat down at the table without saying a word. Ginny set his dinner in front of him, and they both began eating in silence. Every now and then they would cast each other a glance, but they always missed each other's gaze.

"Listen, Regulus, I'm really sorry about what happened this afternoon," Ginny apologized, her voice sounding strange after such a long silence. "I wasn't thinking."

"I told you, you don't have to worry about that," Regulus said flatly. Ginny began collecting their dishes, and she headed over to the sink to wash them. Regulus followed her to the sink, and watched her. Ginny could feel his eyes trailing over every inch of her, but she tried to ignore it. Just as she was turning to put the dishes away in the cupboard, Regulus pushed her up against the counter roughly.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly. Regulus smirked.

"To think I used to give you credit for being smart," he muttered. He pushed his mouth roughly against hers, and forced her lips apart. Ginny shivered as he ran his hands through her hair, and down her neck. His fingers trailed back to the clasp of her necklace, and Ginny pulled away from him abruptly.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Getting rid of dead weight," he replied.

"No, you can't," she protested, "Harry gave me this." Regulus smirked, and ran a hand through his hair. He gave Ginny a knowing look.

"Well, I guess that's it then," he said simply, heading toward the stairs. Ginny followed him in a state of utter confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Regulus turned around, his face completely serious.

"As long as you're wearing that amulet, I can't touch you," he told her, and with that he headed up the stairs, leaving Ginny alone to ponder his statement.

Later, upstairs in her room Ginny was mentally kicking herself for letting things get so out of hand. Now that she had received a taste of Regulus she didn't know if she would be able to survive without being held by him again, but he wouldn't touch her unless she took off her ruddy necklace. Ginny stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes fixed upon the amulet hanging around her neck. Taking off her necklace would mean that she had finally given up on Harry forever. Was she ready to do that? Was she ready to accept the fact that she wouldn't be the one Harry would return to after the war? She didn't know, but one thing she did know, she couldn't keep living in the past, hoping everything would work out the way she wanted. She had to take risks, something Regulus knew all about.

She opened the door to Regulus' room, he had just pulled off his trench coat, obviously he was getting ready to go to bed, and he looked up at Ginny in mild surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny pulled him to her before he could get one word out. She pressed her mouth against his forcefully, and Regulus' fingers wrapped around the amulet that was lying pressed against her chest. He tugged it from her neck, and it fell to the ground, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.


End file.
